What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).

Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bennington	Ellsworth
People
Population	15,249Highest	8,657Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	43±2.4Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Bennington and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ellsworth and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	39.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.	$77,375±$18kHighest 4% below U.S.
	Ellsworth and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$242,300±$22kHighest 27% below U.S.
	Ellsworth and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Bennington and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	62.1%±15.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#63 of 133 in ME
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Ellsworth Public Schools
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Ellsworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.